Chicago Bulls GM Denies Efforts to Trade Luol Deng

There was so much speculation that Chicago would try to move Luol Deng by the NBA Draft, that even he thought the Bulls might trade him. But, when nothing happened last night, Bulls GM Gar Forman (naturally) came out and said the team had no intention of moving Luol. Per ESPN: “Chicago Bulls general manager Gar Forman said Thursday the organization didn’t make any serious efforts to trade forward Luol Deng or any of the team’s core players before the NBA draft. ‘Were we actively shopping our players? Absolutely not,’ Forman said after the Bulls drafted Kentucky guard Marquis Teague with the 29th pick. ‘Are there conversations? All 30 teams have conversations about everybody on their roster. But we like the core of this team, and it’s our job to continue to try to put pieces around Derrick (Rose) and some of the other core guys and try to continue to trend up.’ Trade rumors swirled around Deng in recent weeks, and he recently acknowledged them and said he wouldn’t be surprised if the Bulls moved him. Deng is preparing to play for Great Britain in the upcoming London Olympics. ‘I believe there is always to some extent truth behind rumors,’ Deng said on Sunday. ‘But as an athlete, if you get caught up in them, you are really wasting your time because it’s not something you can control. If it’s not true, a GM could always come out and say it’s not true. But if a GM doesn’t come out and say it, there are probably talks. And there should be. If I was a GM, I would be shopping players around, too. I’ve got to show that I’m doing something.’ Forman said the Bulls are still confident they’re only a few pieces away from accomplishing their goals, and they aren’t looking dismantle their core group.”